BARIPADA: Allegations of witchcraft continue to trigger murders, assaults and harassment in Odisha’s tribal-dominated Mayurbhanj district despite awareness drives and advances in education and science.
As per official report, over 70 cases related to witchcraft allegations, including seven murders, were registered in Rairangpur police district between January 2022 and May 2026. The police district recorded 28 cases in 2022, 13 in 2023, 14 in 2024 and another 15 during 2025-26.
Rairangpur remains a sensitive area for such crimes, with cases reported from Rairangpur Rural, Jamda, Karanjia, Jashipur, Bisoi, Gorumahisani, Mahuldiha, Raruan and Bahalda police station limits. In a recent incident, Bisoi police arrested 70-year-old Laxman Lohar of Madhupur village on October 8 for allegedly raping a 25-year-old woman after promising to resolve her marital problems through sorcery.
On September 26, Karanjia police arrested Bhuta Tudu, 38, of Bad Ramchandrapur for allegedly murdering 57-year-old Sita alias Bale Majhi of Kendumundi village over suspicions of practising witchcraft. Police seized a motorcycle and a blade from his possession. According to the police, the accused alleged that she had practiced sorcery on his elder brother, who died last year. Investigators said Tudu took the woman on his motorcycle on September 23 and allegedly slit her throat near a self-help group centre close to her village before fleeing. Local residents found her critically injured and alerted the authorities.
Several earlier incidents underline the severity of the problem. On July 16, 2022, 70-year-old Gangi Jamuda was allegedly hacked to death with an axe in the Jamda police station area. On October 11 that year, Suna Purty was allegedly beaten to death by three persons in Baula village under Mahuldiha police station. Earlier, on June 16, 75-year-old Champabati Hembram was killed at her home in Podagarh under Jashipur police station. An alleged attempt on Shakra Hembram’s life was reported in Jodia village under Bisoi police station on April 29, 2025.
Police said illnesses, childlessness, miscarriages, crop failures and livestock deaths are often attributed to witchcraft. Women account for around 80 per cent of those targeted, many of them widows and vulnerable people above 40. The accused are often relatives or neighbours. Authorities and voluntary organisations have undertaken awareness campaigns, including street plays and community programmes, while police have filed charge sheets in most cases.
Rairangpur police district SP Suresh Chandra Patra told TNIE awareness about witchcraft was being incorporated into an ongoing anti-addiction campaign, Nisa Mukt. Police also plan to organise football and cricket tournaments to educate people about the dangers of witchcraft-related superstitions.
